“Tourists” travel feet first down memory lane

The Mesquite Senior Games Historical Walking Tour, on March 18, was led by Carmelia Meierhoff who entertained the enthusiastic tourists with tales of historical buildings, sites and family stories generally told from “grandpa’s perspective.” Photo by Teri Nehrenz

A group of citizens, wishing to enhance their knowledge of the city’s beginnings, went feet first down memory lane with the Mesquite Senior Games historical walking tour on March 18.

The tour was led by Carmelia Meierhoff who entertained the enthusiastic tourists with tales of historical buildings, sites and family stories generally told from “grandpa’s perspective.” Meierhoff is a Mesquite native and recalls the stories she’d heard from elder family members while she was growing up as if they were told to her just yesterday.

The tour took the participants to 24 stops along the walking route beginning at City Hall which is the site of the former home of settler, Walter Hughes and ended at the Virgin Valley Heritage Museum. The museum is listed in the National Register of Historical Places. The museum structure is only one of two known buildings that is a surviving example of National Youth Administration projects in the state of Nevada.

The original purpose of the museum was to serve the community as a library and museum which it did for about a year before being converted into the areas first hospital. The museum lays on the ground of the Old Spanish Trail site #31 and Virgin Valley State Historical Site #56.

The tour ended at the museum where a catered lunch was provided by Michele Burkett of Keller Williams. Participants ate under shade canopies in the museum gardens. Photo by Linda Faas

The tour ended at the museum where a catered lunch was provided by Michele Burkett of Keller Williams. Participants ate under shade canopies in the museum gardens.

You can take the historical walking tour on your own, it won’t be as much fun without the family stories from Meierhoff, but the history is rich and interesting. Placards mark the historical sites and a map, provided at the museum, gives plenty of historical information. The Virgin Valley Heritage Museum is located at 35 W. Mesquite Blvd. Museum hours are 10 a.m. -4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Check out the museum for the extensive list of activities that will enhance your knowledge of the history of the Virgin Valley and give you a hands-on experience of what it was like for the early settlers.

For more information on activities, donations or how you can become involved, contact Elspeth Kuta at 702-346-5705 or visit their Facebook page: facebook.com/MesquiteNVMuseum.

Comments

Thanks for your wonderful coverage of the Sr Games History Walk! Cammy and Elspeth can’t be beat when visitors want the “real” history of Mesquite. If they aren’t available in person, however, the City of Mesquite has recently released a new app for Android and iOS devices. It can be downloaded athttp://tour:mesquitenv.gov/. Besides history, it provides points of interest in Mesquite, weather information and latest events. Also find Mesquite on Facebook at http://www.facebook/com/GoMesquiteNV or Twitter@GoMesquiteNV, and at mesquitelocalnews.com!

(Full disclosure: Linda Faas is a reporter for Mesquite Local News and a Sr Games volunteer)